Photo Reconnaissance Imagery Strike Module

Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the in-service date is for the Photo Reconnaissance Imagery Strike Module Improved Date Modem; and if he will make a statement. [75998]

Dr. Moonie:
The programme to fit the Photo Reconnaissance Imagery Strike Module enabled Improved Data Modem (PRISM IDM) to Jaguar aircraft is continuing. The IDM entered service in September 2002, enabling the transmission of data over conventional voice radio links. PRISM offers additional capability and will enter service once other planned enhancements to the aircraft, upon which it depends, have been realised. Work on these enhancements is in hand.

Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the contract for the photo reconnaissance imagery strike module data modem by QinetiQ is worth and if he will make a statement. [76796]

28 Oct 2002 : Column 679W

Dr. Moonie :
The total cost of procuring the photo reconnaissance imagery strike module enabled improved data modem for the Jaguar fleet was some #2.5 million. This figure included ground test equipment, documentation, engineering support and integration advice.

QinetiQ

Mr. Cousins:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to report to Parliament on the final contractual terms and other arrangements for Carlyle Investments to become the strategic partner for QinetiQ. [77378]

Dr. Moonie:
I informed Members at the beginning of September that we were about to enter a limited period of exclusive negotiations with Carlyle Financial Investments as our preferred bidder for partnering QinetiQ. These negotiations are currently well under way and, as we remain on target to complete the sale before the end of the year, I expect to be in a position to give the House details of the arrangements in the near future.

SA80 Rifle

Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on recent findings of investigations into the effectiveness of the SA80. [77067]

Mr. Ingram:
I refer my hon. Friend to the answer that I gave on 15 October 2002, Official Report, column 550W to the hon. Member for Leominster (Mr. Wiggin).

Suicide

Mr. Prisk:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving armed forces personnel under 25 years of age have (a) attempted and (b) committed suicide in each of the last five years for which figures are available. [76624]

Dr. Moonie:
We are unable to provide details of attempted suicide. Although data on all self-inflicted injuries are held at the relevant service casualty branches, information is not centrally held on whether the self-inflicted injury was attempted suicide.

Between 1 January 1997 and 31 December 2001 there have been 19 reported suicides by members of the regular armed forces under the age of 25. These figures are based on coroners' (or Procurator Fiscal in Scotland) verdicts of suicide and excludes self-inflicted deaths with: open verdicts, accidental deaths or deaths due to misadventure. Figures from 1999 onwards may change significantly as there are a number of verdicts outstanding. These figures are broken down by year in the table:

Year

Total

1997

8

1998

2

1999

5

2000

3

2001

1

Grand Total

19

28 Oct 2002 : Column 680W

Tactical Tomahawk Missiles

Mr. Hancock:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what share of the contract to modify the next generation of Tactical Tomahawk missiles will be paid by the UK; and if he will make a statement. [76793]

Dr. Moonie:
An equally funded United KingdomUnited States programme is in progress to develop and test a version of the Tactical Tomahawk Block IV missile capable of being fired from submarine torpedo tubes.

Territorial Army

Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to allow members of the Territorial Army to become eligible for senior positions. [77068]

Dr. Moonie:
Members of the Territorial Army already hold senior positions in the armed forces. There are currently two Territorial Army brigadier posts and one tri- service post open to one-star officers of all reserve forces. In addition, one TA officer currently holds local brigadier rank. I do not currently plan any changes to these arrangements.

Visits

Mr. Chope:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to his answer of 16 October, Ref 36810, if he will give the (a) dates of the occasions, (b) countries visited and (c) parliamentary private secretaries involved. [76104]

Dr. Moonie: [holding answer 21 October 2002]: The information requested is set out in the table.

Date of travel

Country

30 November to 6 December 1998

Falkland Islands

12 December 1999

Germany

16 February 2000

France

The parliamentary private secretaries involved were those for the Minister for the Armed Forces and the Minister for Defence Procurement.

War Pensions

Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what changes he plans to make to war pensions. [76982]

Dr. Moonie:
There are no plans to make changes to war pensions.

Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to allow war widows and widowers to keep their pensions on remarriage. [76983]

Dr. Moonie:
There are no plans to allow war widows and widowers to keep their pensions on remarriage.

Mr. Drew:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to review the recent settlement paid out to ex-service pensioners. [76985]

Dr. Moonie:
Rates of war pensions are reviewed on an annual basis.

28 Oct 2002 : Column 681W

Website Links

Dr. Cable:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the website links associated with his Department, including sites now dormant or closed, and indicating whether they are live, dormant or closed; what the start up costs were for each site listed; what the operating costs were in each year since start up for each site; which company hosted each site; what assessment takes place for each site; which company does the assessment; if he will place the assessment reports in the Library; and if he will make a statement. [75587]

Dr. Moonie:
The information requested is, for the most part, not available centrally or in the form requested, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

The Ministry of Defence has registered approximately 460 domain names under the mod.uk second-level domain. These are sub-delegated to numerous organisations within the MOD and armed forces. The MOD does not currently have a record of which are currently in use. A variety of other domain names (under gov.uk, org.uk etc) have also been registered locally, but no central register currently exists.

The MOD does not currently maintain a composite record of individual websites, costs, contractors and assessments. It would entail disproportionate cost to obtain these details for all of the locally managed websites that are operated by departmental organisations.

For the five central corporate websites of the MOD and the armed forces, all of which are live, the data are as follows. In the case of the MOD corporate website, the only metric available across all years is that of the number of hits (i.e. requests for files, including pages, images and others). For the remaining websites, the metric used is of page impressions (i.e. requests for pages only).

Assessments (note: news pages on separate website since December 2001)

Internal statistical evaluations only. Usage of the MOD website began to be measured on a monthly basis in December 1997. The figures for 200001 are rounded extrapolations based on data recorded between June 2000 and December 2001 . Hits for the period from
December 1997 to September 2002 are as follows:

Year

Number of hits

December 1997 December 1998

4,576,859

December 1998 December 1999

18,195,760

December 1999 December 2000

20,700,000

December 2000 13 December 2001

26,200,000

14 December 2001 31 September 2002

30,786,501

28 Oct 2002 : Column 682W

Ministry of Defence (news)http://news.mod.uk

Start up costs

Aggregated with operating costs. Site was established in April 2001 (was previously part of the Ministry of Defence corporate website). Funded as part of the MOD corporate website expenditure

Operating costs

Financial year

#

200001

As per Ministry of Defence website

200102

As per Ministry of Defence website

Hosting company

Financial year

Contractor

200001

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

200102

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Assessments

Internal statistical evaluations only. Page impressions for the period from April 2001 to September 2002 are as follows:

Year

Number of page impressions

April 2001 March 2002

1,373,823

April 2002 September 2002

500,175

British Armyhttp://www.army.mod.uk

Start up costs

Aggregated with operating costs

Operating costs

Since the Army website was established in 1996, total expenditure on its construction and maintenance has been approximately #2,630,000

Hosting company

Financial year

Contractor

199697

Corsellis-Montford Interactive

199798

Corsellis-Montford Interactive

199899

Corsellis-Montford Interactive

19992000

Corsellis-Montford Interactive

200001

Defence Evaluation and Research Agency

200102

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Assessments

Internal statistical evaluations only. Usage of the Army website began to be measured on a monthly basis in November 2001. Page requests for the period from November 2001 to September 2002 are as follows:

Month

Number of page impressions

November 2001

1,386,158

December 2001

1,104,423

January 2002

1,497,885

February 2002

1,001,671

March 2002

1,274,174

April 2002

1,475,467

May 2002

1,357,795

June 2002

1,308,677

July 2002

1,294,325

August 2002

1,304,292

September 2002

1,527,909

28 Oct 2002 : Column 683W

Royal Air Forcehttp://www.raf.mod.uk

Start up costs

#17,500

Operating costs

Financial year

#

Figures for previous years unavailable without incurring disproportionate cost

200101

74,000

200203

87,500

Hosting company

Financial year

Contractor

19972002

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory

Assessments (note: news pages on separate website since December 2001)

Internal statistical evaluations only. Usage of the RAF website began to be measured on a regular basis in 2000. Page impressions for the period 200002 are as follows: